PROBLEM STARTING 1998 KX 500

[98kaw5oo]

i have an excellent running 98kx 500,a few days ago i was running it and decided to turn the fuel off at the petcock(dont ask why) and then i ran it till it died.today i turned the gas back on,pulled up the choke and kicked it about 20 times with my mx boots on until my bottom of my foot was sore.last time i started it yp it took 3 kicks,im thinking it has to be because i turned the gas off.im thinking i might have to push start it until i get it started,maybe change the plug before i do it.i was just wondering if its not a good idea to run the carb out of gas or did i just flood it or? what do you guys think.

[jazg]

i regularly forget to turn my fuel on at the begining of a ride, its not my strong point
what i find helps is to tip the bike over quite low on one side until fuel starts to come out the overflow pipes and then do the same tip over the other side. my bike usually starts pretty easily after that. i dont know why it struggles like that but i'v spent  a good amount of time kicking and kicking and kicking, much to the amusement of some random nearby children!

hope it helps

[Danger4u2]

I always turn the petcock off when the motor is not running.  When I know I'm done riding I turn off the gas and run the bike but I don't run it dry.  Sounds like you my have picked up something from the bottom of the carb and it my be restricting flow.

[kaw rider]

grap a 17mm wrench and take off the float bowl nut. and then turn on fuel and see if any comes out of float bowl.

[98kaw5oo]

hi,thanks for all the info,loosened the float bowl nut and lots of gas poured out,kicked it once and started for a second then died,push starting this monster is hard,the tire just skids even jumpin down on it as i let the clutch out even going down a paved hill.now my foot is swollen,these bikes are ridiculous to start,i think its time for a decompression valve on the cylinder,anybody know what they cost installed from a shop?

[stock500]

My bike is a beast to start, but if I tip it over until fuel leaks out, stand it back up kick it slow and soft 3 times, make sure the kickstart is at top dead center, and give her hell it never takes more than 2 kicks.  If I turn the fuel on and start kicking I will be there for a while.  The K5 likes a big drink to start.

[Danger4u2]

When you remove the float bowl nut keep it upright.  Check for debris in it.  You might have "stuff" in your gas tank.  There is a screen on the petcock inside the tank. It might have a hole.  I had a customer come in as I was typing this.  I noticed you made a post since then.
Any junk in the bowl nut?  Did it flow when you opened the petcock?
I find the K5 hard to kick but not hard to start.  Go with the easy stuff first.  Fresh gas proper mix, clean air filter,  fresh plug at proper gap.....  So If the compression, timing, spark, fuel oil mix, fuel/air mix is correct it should start.

[Platypus]

I could be wrong but I thought lean seizure was a possiblity if you run the motor out of gas? 

[hughes]

Start by changing the spark plug.

[98kaw5oo]

hey fellows,got it going,i did put a new plug in but i dont think the old plug was fouled out.all i did was take the choke off and it started 3 kicks with my left foot! of course on a stand with my right foot on a stool on the right side to support the massive kick.(my right foot bottom has a swollen knot on it and pretty sore even though i wore my boots)man this 500 have some serious compression.i will never run the carb dry again(big mistake!)i called a well known bike shop and asked about a decompression valve and they said they never heard of one on a 2 stroke,they said the 4 strokes have them.these would be great with a decompression valve but i guess if your bike is jetted well and runs fine it should take no more than 3 kicks cold.